Magnitude 7.7 quake triggers tsunami warning for Fiji, New Zealand

A major 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Friday in the Pacific Ocean southeast of New Caledonia, triggering a tsunami warning, US monitoring agencies said.

The quake was detected at a depth of 37 kilometres (23 miles), the US Geological Service said.

"Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters, hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts within 1,000 km (620 miles) of the earthquake epicentre," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said in a bulletin.

It urged people in threatened coastal areas to be alert.

In a message, the authority said the following places are at risk:

Vanuatu, Fiji, Kiribati, New Zealand, American Samoa, Australia, Chuuk, Cook Islands, Indonesia, Jarvis Island, Papua New Guinea, among other coastal locations in the region.

A hotel receptionist in the New Caledonia capital Noumea told AFP she felt no shaking from the tremor.

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